Sadifura answers “Can someone explain the duel meaning of...”

Julie Choi asked this question about The Sympathizer (The Sympathizer, #1):

Can someone explain the duel meaning of "nothing" to me. I think I get it but am not sure. Of course, I get the first and obvious meaning - what is more important than independence and freedom? Nothing as in nothing is more important. But what is the other meaning?

Sadifura When I read the novel, and whenever I think about the meaning of "nothing", I think of "nothing" in the sense of the Homestuck aspect of Void (sorry f…moreWhen I read the novel, and whenever I think about the meaning of "nothing", I think of "nothing" in the sense of the Homestuck aspect of Void (sorry for getting a little dorky here, I'm not really a part of this group and I'm kinda necroing a dead thread but I really like The Sympathizer and can't stop thinking about this book please dear God help): when the protagonist finds out the answer is "nothing", the double meaning is both "there is nothing more important than independence and freedom" as well as "NOTHING is more important than independence and freedom"; NOTHING is the most important thing in the world. The most important thing in the world is the gaping void in which you sleep, in which you wake, in which you dream. That NOTHING is the thing you should cherish, because that NOTHING, like what happens to the crapulent major and what happens to Sonny, can be taken away from you, and you get to see EVERY torture that the main character has to see. NOTHING is the most important thing in life, because to Man, a man who has NOTHING, a man who doesn't believe in anything because of such horrible depression that he refuses to see his family because he's so deformed, NOTHING in the world is important except the annihilation of EVERYTHING. This is with which Void operates in Homestuck with the Class of Prince, narratively; a Prince of Void destroys THROUGH Void, and through Man's Void, through Man's "NOTHING", he destroyed the very ideals the captain had while he tortured him in the prison camp and allowed him to see the importance of NOTHING, allowing the captain to finally question his OWN beliefs. (less)

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